Date set for Academy Awards next year

LOS ANGELES- Agence France-Presse

The annual Academy Awards will be held on February 24 next year

The annual Academy Awards will be held on February 24 next year, Oscars organizers said on March 14, two and a half weeks after this year’s show. 

Nominations for those shortlisted for prizes on Hollywood’s biggest night will be unveiled on January 15, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said.

“The ceremony will take place at the Hollywood & Highland Center in Hollywood, and will be televised live by the ABC Television Network to more than 225 countries,” it said in a statement.

The name of the glittering show’s venue, the Kodak Theater in the heart of Hollywood, was changed at the last minute this year after the bankrupt photo company negotiated an end to its sponsorship deal.

It is unclear if the name will change by next February, or remain the Hollywood and Highland Center, the entertainment-and-shopping complex which includes the Oscars venue, currently used by dance troupe Cirque du Soleil.

French-directed silent movie “The Artist” was crowned Best Picture at this year’s show on February 26, one of five statuettes won by the black-and-white film. 

Veteran director Martin Scorsese’s lavish 3D adventure “Hugo” also won five Oscars.